


Pre-Empire

by RedLion003



Series: Empire [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Baby Axca, Before cannon, Before the events of Empire, F/M, I can't write romance, Kind of a slowburn?, baby Keith, keith and axca are siblings, young Krolia, young Texas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-19 06:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20652881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLion003/pseuds/RedLion003
Summary: Before the events of Empire began.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write romance, but I'll try. This is the story of Krolia and Texas before the events of Empire. Also, a trigger warning for heavy violence.

He was found by two officers.

They crashed into one of the Empire’s war camps and killed twenty-six of its workers in the explosion. The Commanders of the base deemed the ship a threat and called upon two of the most experienced officers to investigate. The last thing they expected was to see the limp corpse of one of their best soldiers and two babies in the backseat.

* * *

Krolia has been trained for thirty-seven decophoebs and could take anyone in a fight. She was one of their most fluid and quick pilots and loyal soldiers. She was born into the Empire and stayed true to her position. It didn’t take her long to become the lieutenant of one of the most top-secret cruisers in the area. Commander Ranvig might’ve had his ups-and-downs about her at first, but came to respect her. But after serving the Empire for so long and the niceties of all the new things started to dwindle, Krolia got bored.

It didn’t affect her schedule; It didn’t affect her piloting, ideas, and sharpshooting. But it affected her confident mood around the cruisers. She wanted to do something new. Something that will get her _ completely _noticed. But the flaw in that plan was that she couldn’t do it alone.

They weren’t friends - well, not anymore - but Khevv was a good programmer and tracker and Krolia needed the best she can get. It was hard to convince him. She knew it would be; he was quite stubborn but when he heard the plan on its own - he was all in. With Khevv working on the ‘energy signature’ they needed and Krolia’s unlimited access to ships, they were pretty much set. When the time finally came to put their plan into action, Krolia was buzzing with excitement. After vargas and phoebs of waiting, she finally got the excitement and confidence she needed. Her commander and all the officers asked her what she was so elated about but she merely shrugged them off and said, ‘It’s a surprise.’

Late the next night, Krolia waited for Khevv in the pod bay. He was able to convince her on letting him come along, stating that he knew the exact location of their… gift. Krolia was ecstatic to hear the praise from her leaders. To see all the attention drawn to her for bringing forth one of the Empire’s most wanted items. Cause in the Empire, if you don’t have a purpose, you are thrown aside and forgotten. And Krolia did not want to be forgotten.

She played with one of her most prized possessions. It was a luxite blade. The Ancients know luxite blades weren't made anymore! She found it on one of her missions, gleaming in the rock of a creature's shell. She had fought for it and discovered many interesting things about it. It could turn into a long glowing sword and could cut through many objects, no matter the density. She has grown to be rather fond of this blade.

Khevv finally stumbled into the bay with a strange-looking device in his left hand. Krolia glowered at Khevv, sheathed her blade and hopped into the ship she’s been leaning against.

“Took you long enough,” she hissed in annoyance. Khevv jumped into the ship nearest himself and grumbled some half-excuse. They hovered into the air and Krolia opened the doors. As soon as space was visible, they shot out into the stars. They flew until they couldn’t see the ship anymore and came to an abrupt stop on an old moon. “Khevv. Where to?”

An incessant beeping replied over the comms along with a curious hum from her partner. “Er - well, I got the energy signature. It is highly compatible with the Red Lion's. But I am… I am not _ quite _sure where the coordinates are of the planet in question.”

Krolia’s head fell into her hand, “Are you saying that you flew us in blind?”

"No! No, I know the name of the planet," Khevv said hurriedly. "I'm just... not quite sure where it is. I believe, that if we get to a newer section of the Universe, we might be able to track the coordinates from there. The planet is quite new. It is approximately 4,569 billion decophoebs old. Or... maybe younger."

Krolia was surprised at the age. That _ was _quite young for a planet. But if they had to fly around for decophoebs looking for a newer section to the Universe, who knows how long that would take. Krolia decided to go for one of her crazy old theories from when she was a kit. "I have an idea where this planet could be..."

"Really? Where?" Khevv asked in childlike excitement.

It was an old story from decophoebs ago, one that was told in classes of the Universe. One that Krolia had pondered about for night and day. "You know the Virgo Firing Tragedy...?"

Khevv groaned, all childlike excitement gone. "Krolia. It is called the Virgo Firing _ Tragedy _ for a reason! It was a failed galaxy. A huge explosion and _ boom _! The entire thing went to comic rubble. It wiped out a few lightyears of civilization around it."

"Think about it!" Krolia hurried to say. "The galaxy is about... 13,77 billion decophoebs. If it were really _ cosmic rubble _ for a few decophoebs, wouldn't planets form out of chondrite passing by? Maybe the Virgo Firing Tragedy wasn't as tragic as we thought it was!"

"So, what? It was the Virgo Firing _ Fortune _," Khevv snorted in amusement.

Krolia groaned. This is exactly why she wanted to do this alone! Cause once she gets a lead, _ someone _has to interject. "All I'm saying is, maybe that's where Earth is. It's the only lead we have to a new section in the Universe. We have to take it!" She left before Khevv could complain any longer.

* * *

She was right. Of course, she was! She's Krolia, she's _ always _right. They floated among planets and constellations, all of them new. All of them very much alive. They slowed to a stop in front of a large planet with brown, green and white dotting around the globe. It looked a lot like Arus, but Krolia felt like the blue wasn't land. She grinned over at Khevv as she heard his startled yelp.

"I-it's Earth!" Khevv said in disbelief. "I can't believe it! It's _ actually _ Earth." Krolia heard his breathless chuckle over the comms. "Guess you _ were _right Krolia. It didn't blow into cosmic dust."

"And the Blue Lion?" Krolia questioned immediately. They were so close! All Khevv had to do was give her the call. A few beeping noises and a quick scan over - presumably - Earth, Khevv replied.

She could practically hear the grin in his voice, "Blue Lion is on this planet." A string of exact coordinates appeared onto her screen. "Not too far from where we're facing." _ Good. Then it was time to relieve Khevv of his duty, _ she thought as she turned on the blasters and steered them toward the other ship. Unfortunately, Khevv was smart and observant and was able to swerve out the way in time.

The fighter jet came to a stop and froze for a moment. "Krolia! What are you _ doing _ ?" Khevv demanded as a second blast grazed his wing. Krolia didn't answer. She fired another shot, barely hitting the belly of his jet. Khevv, ever so infuriatingly, dodged every shot. She had to give him credit. He _ was _a good pilot. The news finally seemed to click with him as he ducked another shot. His angry hiss filling her ears, "Trying to get all the glory for yourself, aren't you?"

Krolia grinned at the accusation. As she said, Khevv was smart and observant. He wasn't wrong. "What was your first clue?" She shot another blast his way, effectively getting his ring wing. Not hard enough to grant him unstable, but hard enough to spin him out of control for the next few ticks.

"Heh," Khevv's voice crackled over the comms. "Two can play at that game." He realigned his ship and set a blast for her jet. She swerved out the way and shot at Khevv's weapon system. Khevv dodged, sending two shots for her engine. She turned the jet vertical and sped past the two blasts. Khevv and Krolia were evenly matched, has been ever since the cub army. They were close friends, which meant they taught each other their methods and used them against the others.

They were both sharpshooters, hard workers, and excellent pilots. The only thing Khevv excelled at more was tracking and programming. What drove them apart was her position in the Empire. Although she was reckless and reacted mostly on her impulses, Krolia was able to get on a higher rank quite early in life. Khevv got jealous and they started to distance themselves from each other. At least, that's how Krolia saw it.

They were both evenly matched and knew each other's tactics. That's how they jumped and flew from each other's shots before even knowing their next move. How they could barely catch each other off guard. It was exactly how they both hit target in the end. Both their shots landing effectively on each other's engines, tearing away the metal and blowing off the left-wing.

The pedals' mechanisms tore and shot the ship downward. Speeding toward the marble planet they have had their battle in front of. Hot flames curled over their ships and overheated the cockpit as they broke atmosphere and Krolia could hear the distant crackle of Khevv's screams.

The fire slowly curled away and Krolia tried pulling up the pedals. She felt like a kit again, sitting in her first flight lesson. Desperately pulling at the pedals as it spun toward a nearby planet. Screaming for help that wouldn't come. She felt overheated from the atmosphere crash and her brain was aching from the static in her comms. Her armor had torn a bit from the blast to her engine and she was slowly losing consciousness. She peered through her half-lidded eyes to see the quick approaching sand of land. Tinny lifeforms scattered away from her approaching shadows and hid inside the dunes.

Then the ship jerked. Crashing into the surface and bouncing across the horizon. She felt her ship clash against Khevv's as it rolled through the land. Her body lurched forward and her head hit the cracking windshield. She thanked the ancients that she wore her helmet.

Her fighter jet bounced for a few more ticks before it burrowed into the sand and her right-wing's controls blew up. She felt lightheaded and a little nauseous. Her body was shaking from the sheer force of the crash. Her head lolled as she tried to get up, exhaustion took her over like a hurricane. She tried to steady herself but she stumbled and crashed to the floor of her jet. As soon as her helmet connected with the floor, black fogged at the edges of her vision.

Her attempts at getting up again were futile as she merely fell back down and couldn't see anything.

* * *

When the apples in his hand didn't transform into dynamite, Texas knew something was wrong.

Every single grocery store trip was never normal. It always had a catch. When he was seven, his uncle walked into the road and got hit by a truck. When he moved out and needed supplies for his new home, his local supermarket got hit by a plane. When he was buying food for his family, his sister climbed a tree and got the flu. So when Texas ran out of apples for his smoothie and went out to get some, he prepared for the worse.

But here's the weird part.

When he picked up the apples... nothing happened. He put them into his basket, grabbed some other supplies and paid for it. And guess what? He had money! He walked out of the store and waited for someone to approach him and yell strange profanities at him. But he made it onto his hoverbike, started the engine and sped off in one peace.

He unlocked his door just fine. He packed away the groceries without problems. He even finished his smoothie without difficulty. Now he was standing in his kitchen, staring at the pack of apples in his hand and waited for the Universe to do its daily routine... But still, nothing happened. He set them aside with a tired sigh.

That day has been a long day indeed. He worked on his hoverbike, went on that... odd supermarket run and was able to clean up the house. He didn't like vacation weeks. He prided in his job. Fighting fires and saving lives. He was the Chief of the fire station for a reason. He was good at what he did. But all he could do now was watch his fan spin in circles and circles until he was lulled to sleep. Not that he slept that long though.

He was woken up by the sound of glass shattering and he shot up off his couch. His forehead connected with something metallic and hot. He yelped in pain and scooted away from the surface, falling onto the floor in the process.

Texas ran a hand over his forehead and looked at what he had knocked his head against. And there was the weird twist to his grocery run. A long and thick hunk of metal pierced through his window. Deep grooves tore into the metal in wavy patterns. Of course, a ship crashes through his window. Maybe one of the Garrison cadets stole a ship again. The flight school wasn't too far from here.

He crawled underneath the wing and went outside. There was a large grey ship in front of him. One that he's never seen before. He had gone on a tour of the Garrison once before. He was sure they didn't look like this.

The ship seemed to have been crashed a couple of times over. Fading purple insignias and dark blotches of burns painted its surface. Its entire right wing was torn off. Texas started to worry. If there was some kind of ship that looked like this, and there was someone in it. _ Geez, he hoped they were okay. _ He ran off to his shed and grabbed an axe. He clambered up onto the window and broke through the glass. It was either plastic or very thick glass, cause the axe barely cracked it the first few times.

The windshield shattered and Texas froze, staring at the figure in the pilot's chair. It was a skull with muscle and - was that fur? - stretched across the bone. Blood dripped down onto the figure's armor, the jaw unhinged as if caught mid-scream.

Texas stumbled off the windshield and landed painfully on his back. He scrambled away from the ship with panting breaths. _ Aliens? Seriously!? That was the twist for today's grocery run? And it wasn't alive either _, Texas thought frantically. His eyes drew to something else in the distance. It also seemed to be a ship. The same one but with more blemishes. Part of Texas worried for the other alien but another part of his didn't want to see another corpse.

After a few deep breaths, he grabbed his axe and got off the floor. If the other alien was still alive, maybe he could help them. Find out what they were doing near Earth in the first place.

He walked across the desert sand and clambered onto the ship. He brought back his axe and got the windshield open on the first swing. This one must've been weaker. He hopped into the ship and froze at the sight of a limp body sprawled out on the floor. He didn't see any signs of breathing but he couldn't know unless he tried. Texas made his way over to the body cautiously, leaning next to it and carefully pushing them over.

They were quite heavy, so it took a harder nudge to get them to roll over. He was faced with an obscured helmet, the visor completely covered in soot. They were quite tall and muscular but still a little shorter than him. (About a quarter of an inch shorter.) He noticed the slow rise and fall of the figure's chest. They were still breathing! Before he could question it, he lifted the heavy figure into his arms and climbed out of the ship.

He ran across the desert floor and into his house, nearly gagging at the glimpse of the other alien. He ran up the stairs and laid her down onto the bed. For a brief moment, Texas wondered if they needed oxygen or if it was poisonous from where they came from. He decided to risk it.

He pulled off their helmet and his eyes laid on a very pretty alien. Much prettier than the other one. She - he was assuming she was a woman - had purple skin that seemed more like fur. Her ears were sharp and her hair was an ombre from dark purple to pink. Kind of a weird style too. 

There didn't seem to be too much damage to her. She was probably just exhausted from the crash, but who knew. She was an alien which meant her health was completely unknown to him. Texas got a wet cloth from the bathroom and laid it on her forehead, hoping that would help at least a bit. He stared at her unconscious figure for a while not knowing what to do about this until he remembered the ships.

Should he tell the Garrison about her? What would they do? He'll decide later. He went outside and cursed himself for breaking the ship's windshield. The very sight of the guy made him sick. He averted his gaze and tried to push the ship away. That didn't work. He tried knocking it aside with his hoverbike and that was able to give the most force. After approximately three hours of pushing the ships aside and covering up the tracks it left behind, he crouched down at his porch and started working on repairing his house.

While boarding up the windows, he saw Garrison patrols cruise past his house. They were moving slowly and surveying the area. Should he wave them over and tell them about the aliens?

_ No _, a thought occurred to him and his body was forced to turn around and continue fixing the windows. That was odd... it was like he had no control over his movements. The cars passed and disappeared into the distance when he finally got control over his body again. He turned to look at the tracks the Garrison patrols left behind and turned back to boarding the windows.


	2. Chapter Two

Krolia woke up to the sounds of banging and sharp sunlight. She groaned as she brought up her hand to her cold forehead. Something was resting on her face. She froze in surprise and slowly peeled away what she could reach. A regular washcloth it seemed. When observing her surroundings, she noticed she was laying on a bed. Wooden walls and a delicate breeze pushing past the pinkish curtains.

_ Where am I? _ She wondered. She pushed up on the bed and tried to regain her thoughts. _ The Empire, leaving with Khevv, finding Earth... the battle. Great, she thought bitterly. One of the inhabitants must've found me. _She crawled off the - surprisingly - comfortable bed and peeked out the window.

She noticed someone outside. He looked quite odd. Dark hair and light skin. But that's all she was able to observe from up here. Krolia turned to face the cramped up room. She needed to escape, get back to her ship and focus on her previous objective. Too bad she was still dazed from the crash _ and _the fact that her ship was most-likely wrecked.

Krolia crept through the room, stumbling a bit on her way to the door. Apparently, she took longer than she thought because she heard the sound of a soft click somewhere in the house. Then footsteps getting louder. She startled and backed away from the door. She tripped over her own feet and crashed back against the shelf. She yelped in pain and curled herself up against a wall. The inhabitant came inside, gazed around the room and his eyes fell on her.

He had dark eyes, a scar across his left brow and weird clothes. It wasn't the tight armor she was used to in the Empire. As soon as she noticed his approaching footsteps, she pressed back against the wall and fumbled for her knife.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find it. She saw the man trying to calm her in the corner of her eyes. She bared her fangs at him, "_ Stay back! _"

The man stepped back in alarm, confusion set into his eyes. He shook the confusion off and started speaking, "I - I don't know if you'll understand me, but just calm down, alright? I'm not gonna hurt you." He extended a palm in a calming motion. "_ Do _you understand me?"

Krolia didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to spend too much time on this planet, but maybe he could help her? He lived there. Perhaps he knew of the whereabouts of the Blue Lion. She still wasn't too sure of him though. She hissed and gave him a curt nod. Maybe if she talked to him, she could get away easier. Beats making a getaway with sore limbs.

"Good," He seemed a bit happier about her vague reply. "Er - Do you know how to speak English? So we could understand each other?"

With a bit of hesitation, Krolia nodded again, "Yes." She said that in English this time. Granted, she didn't speak Galran much but it still came naturally in stressful situations.

"Well then, I'm Texas," The man said, standing with more of a relaxed posture. Kind and inviting. It made Krolia relax too for reasons she didn't know. "Texas Kogane. And you are?"

She gulped down her vigilance and decided to trust the man. For now. She stood up from the floor and tried to look intimidating. Standing tall and glowering at the man. He looked surprisingly calm. Not intimidated at all. He looked... _ amused _actually. "Lieutenant Agent Krolia of Classified Sector 064; Ranvig's Command Cruiser."

"Alright then, Krolia," Texas said with a smile. Concern crossed his eyes a tick later. "You feelin' okay? That crash musta taken a lot outta ya."

Krolia flexed her limbs instinctively. Her back still hurt from the fall, her wrist had a dull ache and her head felt foggy. But she shook off the pain and lied, "I'm alright. But I _ do _have places to be." Trying to make it more effective, she added. "It's urgent."

"Oh," Texas nodded in understanding. "Right. From your introduction there you seem like a real busy worker. There is one problem though." The man looked somewhat intimidated now, so Krolia waited for the worst. "Your ship is in a terrible state and I'm not sure our space engineers could help repair it. And I'm pretty sure we don't have the tools you require for repairin' it either. So, unless there is any way to fix it without the right equipment, I don't think you'll be gettin' off this planet."

Krolia huffed, "I expected the worst." She looked off to the side, her ears slightly pulling back. She would definitely be able to repair her ship with minor tools, but that could take phoebs. Not to mention, she needed to toe a Blue war machine back to Ranvig's Cruiser. But she didn't come here alone. She looked back at the... whatever species he was and asked, "What about Technician Khevv? My partner. Where is he?"

Texas looked her over in confusion until he tensed in understanding. "Oh, right... about that." He scratched the back of his neck. This planet's inhabitants' nervous tick perhaps? "Your friend didn't survive the crash. It's... er - It's pretty bad."

* * *

Krolia climbed into the ship, hidden under a large curved sand dune. She walked over to the pilot's chair and looked down at her former friend. His face was burnt up pretty good from the atmosphere crash. He must've had the heat protection off. Or maybe she broke it in their battle. She leaned next to him and picked up the charred device he had been using to find the Blue Lion._ No use for it now _, she thought as she got off the ground.

Texas - a human, apparently - said he'd wait for her at the other ship, looking a bit lighter-skinned than before. Maybe the concept of gore was disturbing to him.

She hopped out of the ship and marched off to her own, where she saw Texas leaning near. He gave her a questioning look but she waved him off. "Nothing of use was in his ship," she explained as she hopped into her fighter. She observed the broken glass on the floor and the blemishes of the cockpit. She was surprised she didn't end up the same way as Khevv did. She crouched near a drawer and fumbled through it. She searched the entire fighter but couldn't find an emergency repair kit.

"So," she heard Texas speak from outside the fighter. "You and that Khevv guy friends? Or just co-workers?"

Krolia rolled her eyes at his attempt at small talk. Just cause he 'saved' her from a fighter crash didn't mean she could go ahead telling him her backstory. "Co-workers." Not a full lie, but not the full truth. Texas quieted down though, so he must've been satisfied with his answer. She picked her Blade off the ground and sheathed it in her belt.

She hopped back out the fighter and assessed the exterior damage. She must admit, for someone who hasn't flown a ship in forever, Khevv had a pretty good aim. She grimaced at the deep hole in the engine. _ A pretty mean shot too, _ she thought grimly.

Texas was rather quiet. She walked her back to his home and led her to his shed. Showed her his tools and let her test them out herself. It was odd how little questions he had. All he seemed to wonder was her name and her relationship status with Khevv. _ Odd human _, she thought. Disturbed by the silence, Krolia spoke up. "It will take a while, but I think these might work."

"How long is a while?" Texas asked.

Krolia cocked her head as she observed a... 'screwdriver'? Yeah, that's what he called it. "About seventeen phoebs."

Silence. She glanced at Texas and watched him eye her quizzically. She cocked an eyebrow at him and he vocalized his thoughts, "Clearly we have different words for time. How long are _ phoebs _? Hours? Days? Weeks?"

Krolia wasn't familiar with those words. She shrugged. "Depends, I guess. If you can explain to me what hours and days are?"

* * *

A full year and five months. That was the calculation to human time. Texas freaked out and became a bit more vocal after that realization. He was saying a bunch of things about 'aliens' and government. But in the end, he walked her back to her ship and stood guard. When she asked him why he said that some people may not take to kindly to her. When she assured him she could take care of herself... well, Texas didn't leave.

She spent most of the quintant - or day - repairing her ship. Taking parts of Khevv's ship to repair her own. Her head was still pounding and her wrist was most likely sprained, but she was determined to get the ship ready as quick as possible.

But the human tools were just so... confusing! She couldn't tell what to do with them sometimes. Texas pointed out some helpful tips to her about them now and again. Krolia didn't like the feeling of dependence. She wanted to get the Blue Lion and get off this planet _ now _. Texas offered her the bed for the night but she has had enough dependance for one day. She stubbornly took the 'living room' floor ("Do you not live in the rest of the house?") and Texas went upstairs. The next morning, Texas found Krolia working on her ship again. He asked her if she slept at all last night and she replied with an annoyed grunt.

This same routine went on for the next 'week'. Texas would guard her while she repaired her ship and constantly hound her for not eating. They would go back inside early at night, Texas claiming that the 'coyotes will bother them if they don't get inside'. Krolia argued that 'she could take them' but realized that she couldn't see in the dark _ that _well.

She was starting to heal but the heat of the desert made her dehydrated. She wasn't eating either so she was feeling light-headed quite a lot. Texas finally forced her to drink some water and have a bite of food, which she finished before she could even blink. (Honestly, Earth food was so good!) It was about two and a half weeks after her crash when Texas asked her the question that's been bothering him so much.

"What were you doing outside of Earth?" She looked up at the confused human. They were inside now, Texas insisting they needed some shade to prevent heatstroke. He was washing the dishes when he asked her that question. "Y'know? You said you live a few galaxies away. What were you doing outside of Earth?"

Krolia wasn't sure how to answer that. Should she tell him about her quest to find the Blue Lion? Or should she stay quiet about the whole thing and make an excuse? The second option was more logical, but there was the possibility that Texas could help her find it. With a lot of hesitation, Krolia spoke, "I'm looking for a ship. One that belongs to the Empire. It's called the Blue Lion. My... co-worker, Khevv, was able to track its location. I'm not sure if it is in this desert... but maybe..."

Texas stared at her puzzled, "Well, I don't know of any alien ships around Sandhills. Only two but those are in a nearby dune in repair."

Krolia huffed, "Right."

Silence stretched between them for a while. Texas packed away the remaining dishes before he turned back to talk to her. "If you need help... I can help you find it. But only if you want to." Amusement flickered in his eyes. "I noticed you are quite the independent one."

The teasing tone of his voice did weird things to her heart. Was the atmosphere of Earth trying to kill her? It's fine if she ignores it will go away. Just like every problem in her life. She looked longingly at the door as if she could see the two motionless ships through the walls. "I should continue working. Or else it will take longer to get out of here." She got up from the table, Texas following close by.

* * *

The next morning was a surprise and a half. Texas woke her up early and took her to his 'hoverbike'. He gestured for her to climb on and flicked on a light. She got on reluctantly and he told her to hold onto the back of the seat. They sped off into the dark of the desert, flying through the large dunes and past fat green plants. Krolia wasn't quite sure of what they were doing but she went along with it.

As long as he didn't turn her in to the people who 'wouldn't take kindly to her'.

They stopped at a large expanse of mountains and Texas hopped off the bike. She got off after him, stumbling slightly from the speed of the bike. She looked around at what seemed to be nothing but the horizon.

"What are we doing here?" She asked him, staring at the man leaning against his hoverbike.

"Well, you said you were looking for this... Blue Lion," Texas spoke up, standing straighter with confidence. Krolia's heart skipped a beat. Probably cause he mentioned the Blue Lion. "And I thought I should try to help you out a bit. Even though I am no genius when it comes to space, I did find out that strange energies have been signaled around this area. Maybe it could be your first clue to the Blue Lion."

Krolia observed the human. He _ was _odd, wasn't he? "Thanks," she mumbled uncertainly. Texas waved her off and they spent the entire day searching the mountains for the Blue Lion. They came back with no luck.

* * *

A whole month went by after her crash land on Earth and everything went the same. Some days they would follow their old routine of fixing the ships, while other days they would search the mountains for the Blue Lion. Krolia hated to admit it, but she was growing a certain fondness for Texas. He was kind, brave and intelligent. He knew his way around the desert with ease and knew quite a lot about repair.

Krolia noticed him reading books with galaxy covers or certain pages with planets. She remembered some of them from her trip over here with Khevv. He called them Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and many others. He would tell her stories about space expeditions and Earth's long, hard struggle to transfer to Mars. Granted, there weren't many people that lived there, but enough to create a small town.

When Krolia met the Garrison, she and Texas were searching the mountains for the Blue Lion again. They heard various voices and crunching of footsteps before they saw the figures walk among the rocks. They must've been looking for her.

Texas grabbed her arm and stealthily guided her through the rocks. They ducked behind large boulders and hurried past skinny trees. They tucked themselves behind a large rock, listening to the Garrison patrol officers pass as they held their breath. As soon as they heard the banging of doors, the start of an engine and the screech of tire wheels, Texas let out a loud pelt of laughter. Krolia knew Texas was a happy and friendly man, she could tell that much from his severe help from the last few days. But she never really saw the man smile.

Once she saw his large smile and bright eyes filled with happy relief, the only thing Krolia could think was: _ Oh no. _ Cause she liked him, didn't she? She developed feelings for some hermit primitive of a planet many thought didn't exist.

Krolia, being the stubborn soldier she was, tried to deny these feelings. She couldn't give in because she had an interest in a man from a backwater planet. No, she had a mission. A mission to be noticed and become a known legend. Part of her realized, she was noticed by Texas. Not only that, but she liked his attention. She liked his strange Earth jokes and his morning foods. She liked his tips and tricks on repairing her ship even though he knew nothing of galra tech. She liked that he tried his hardest to learn about the galaxy because he met an 'alien'.

Honestly? She was starting to grow fond of the term 'alien' just because he called her that.

But with this newfound 'interest', there were complications. Krolia found herself awake some nights, staring at the spinning thing Texas called a 'fan'. She counted every slow spin, thinking about the planets the Empire has conquered. She was one of the ones that conquered those planets. She remembered the sadness and defeat across her enemies' faces. Something she would have once called pathetic.

But now? All she could think of was Texas, kneeled before her Emperor. His kit-like freedom? Gone. Forced to work in slavery and do everything by their wants. And when they find out about the Blue Lion being there? They will see even more worth on the planet. More things to seek and take. And that strange man that saved her from a crash land near his house? Even though he didn't know her, what she was up to across the Universe? Helped her regardless of her actions? He would be in the midst of all this.

It was her fault. She could have lored the others here. She could've given them out to the Emperor without knowing. It may have been crazy... but the Empire wasn't starting to look so good.

She remembered her disagreement with her brother, Thace. When he warned her of the Empire. Said that maybe they should leave this life behind. But Krolia was so high on the attention and her ego was practically maxed out from her successes, that she disagreed with him. She said he was being stupid about it, said he needed to see the Empire for what it was.

But they had two different perspectives. Krolia decided not to tattle on her brother's hesitance of the Empire, but she did distance herself so she was no part of him.

Now she wondered if she had to listen to him. Go with him and escape the Empire. Make a resistance against them? She wasn't quite sure what to think. It amused her quite a bit. Thinking about all of this because of some man she met in a distant galaxy. It brought a smile to her face.

Krolia's biggest mistake, was when Texas woke her up at midnight and pulled her to the roof. They climbed up on the dusty rooftop and stumbled down to the ledge. Texas lowered himself onto the roof and gestured for her to do the same. Krolia sat next to him and tried to look for what he possibly could've brought her here for.

He chuckled slightly at her confusion and tilted her head up to the sky above. In the near two months Krolia has been here... she has never been out past dark. But now that she saw it, she couldn't look away.

Some wooly, dark blue clouds floated between a shimmering assortment of stars. One large, round splotch of light casting pretty blue light all over the desert. The moon looked so close, yet it was so far away. The dark blue sky along with the sandy smell of a cold desert night was truly fascinating. She startled at distant howls of the critters Texas called 'coyotes'. The man in question, chuckled at her surprised look.

It was peaceful out here. She understood why he lived here now. It might've been hot and dangerous at day, but the cold, soothing night made up for that.

Texas smiled down at her, his eyes mixing perfectly with the dark blue sky. More dark purple flecks staining his irises. It reminded her of a nebula she had flown past once. A peaceful color. Her favorite color. Krolia felt drawn to the indigo of his eyes. Remembering the rare, warm memories of her childhood. Where, despite the hardships, she had her friend and her brother to make up for the loneliness of the cub army. The nights they spent sneaking around the cruiser, having each other for company.

When she flew through perfect twirls and dives and laid her eyes upon an indigo nebula with a large array of blue stars. Krolia remembered her days in Sandhills, Texas' bellowing laugh, and kind eyes. His newfound interest in the stars and his freedom among the sands of the desert.

So, without thinking, without realizing, completely drawn in by the indigo eyes that reminded her of warm memories. Of happy quintants she longed to keep.

She kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this how you write romance? Did I do it right? Inform me if I'm completely wrong. I've never written a romance fic before.


	3. Chapter Three

The rest of the night was held in silence. When Krolia got too tired to stay awake, they walked back inside and fell asleep. The next morning, Krolia got the mind-blowing memory of last night and quickly slipped outside. She grabbed the toolbox and snuck across the desert to her ship. She ignored the pure beauty of the morning. The orange sun rising from behind tall hills and the rustle of the big tree outside.

She made her way to her ship and started repairing what she had to repair. All of a sudden, Krolia wanted to disappear. She wanted to fix the ship as quickly as possible and run away.

She fumbled around with the wires and mechanics, cursing every so often when something got tangled cause of her nervous energy.

"Need some water?" a gruff voice asked from above the ship. She yelped and banged her head against the underside of the ship. Krolia rolled out from underneath the ship and glowered at Texas. He gave her a nervous smile, extending a cold water bottle out towards her. She took it gratefully and took a large swig of the water.

"You seem to be in a bit of a hurry," Texas regarded, sitting back on his usual boulder.

Krolia capped her bottle and pushed it aside. She rolled under the ship and started repairing without a word. Silence stretched between them. It was normal of course. They never spoke to one another when Krolia was busy unless she was confused about a new tool.

But this silence was... tense. Like there was something left unspoken between them. There was, but Krolia was perfectly comfortable not talking about it. In the Empire, romance was exceedingly rare. Mainly cause the Emperor didn't allow it. It was why Krolia was sure to keep her feelings under lock-and-key. Well... that didn't work out as great as expected.

Once Krolia was too tired out to continue working on the ship, Texas drove her out to the mountains after a quick breakfast to resume the search of the Blue Lion.

The whistling winds that squeezed past the rocks and the rushing river that streamed nearby were calming. Their crunching footsteps pounding around them as Krolia tried to sense the Blue Lion. To galra, sensing a lion was relatively easy. They could almost feel their energy around them and follow it till it gets stronger and stronger. So far, no such luck. And today wasn't gonna be their lucky day either it seemed.

When they settled down at the side of a trail, Texas finally spoke, "So... how did you sleep?"

Krolia wasn't sure why the question made her choke on her water. It was a simple question, not anything to freak out about. She cleared her throat and shrugged, "Fine, I guess. The floor was a bit uncomfortable."

Texas snorted, "I did offer you the bed almost every night for two months."

Krolia huffed and looked away. The singing of birds floated through the wind, the soft crumble of rocks tossing over the edge of the mountain they sat on. "Er - about last night..." Texas said hesitantly. Krolia tensed instantly. "Do you... want to talk about it?"

Krolia sighed. She didn't really, but they had to. It would help to get over this tension. "Not really," She spoke her thoughts out loud. "But I guess it would be better if we do."

Texas looked nervous for a bit before he mumbled, "Sorry for... doing that. I shouldn't have... you know..." He was hesitant in his words. It confused Krolia. What did he have to apologize for? She was the one to kiss him, he didn't do anything. Or... did he?

"What are you talking about?" Krolia questioned, cocking her head to the side. "You didn't do anything. I kissed..." she faltered, blushing slightly at her outburst. She averted her gaze and mumbled a barely audible "you," before silence stretched between them.

Texas blinked at her dumbly before he seemed to conclude. "I-it was mutual then?"

Krolia looked at the man in surprise. The kiss or the feelings? They may not have mentioned any of those, but that was just an unspoken understanding... right? Texas seemed to notice her confusion and turned back to the horizon. Krolia took the hint. The conversation was over.

She took another sip from her water and leaned on the railing of the trail. After what felt like decophoebs, Texas finally spoke up. "Look, Krolia. I know you are some... 'Lieutenant Agent' of a 'Classified Sector' or whatever... but I -" he seemed kind of nervous. Making sure to look anywhere but at her. "I - I know we haven' known each other for a long time either! But... what I am - er - tryin' to say is..." He glanced up at her. "I - I like you. You're very different from the people I've met. And I'm not jus' sayin' that cause you're an alien."

Krolia observed the flustered man before her. She stared for a bit too long to be comfortable, trying to process his words. She settled for a small smile which surprised Texas. "I like you too. And I'm not just saying that cause you're an annoying liability."

"Oh, um," Texas seemed even more aghast by that. "So - er - that's mutual too, I guess. I kinda thou - Wait! Hold on a second!" Krolia wondered how long he would realize what she said. "I am not a liability!" He protested.

Krolia laughed, taking Texas by complete surprise. "You can't take word for how  _ I  _ feel about you." Texas pouted but didn't respond further. They stared over the horizon. The setting sun and the beginning of twinkling stars. Krolia frowned as she took in the beauty of Earth. Things seemed easier like this. Away from the Empire. She started to wonder how  _ good  _ the Empire really was again.

She glanced at Texas, his relaxed composure. Purely ignorant to the world beyond his planet. "Texas," she started. She needed to tell him about the things she's done. Why she wanted to find the Blue Lion. Even if that drove him to hate her. She needed him to know. Texas looked over at her, his attention was drawn to her. "Texas, I - I want you to know something. I must tell you."

"Well," he crossed his arms and stared at her fully. "I'm listenin'."

Krolia took a deep breath to compose herself before she began speaking. "I'm not as... good as you think I am. You see, I'm... I'm involved in a really bad Empire. I didn't quite understand cause I was so blinded by my pride. But I want to make sure you know everything." Texas looked at her with more concentration. She took another breath to steady herself and started to explain the actions of her people. The things they've -  _ she's _ done.

Krolia told him about the people they've enslaved, the lives they've hurt and why she was looking for the Blue Lion. All the while, Texas listened carefully. Staring at her as if she was the most interesting book he's ever found. "I just wanted to say, I... I am so sorry. I've done all of that and then used you for help and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner and I won't blame you if you start to hate me." Krolia sighed, slumping slightly. "Your resentment will be understood."

Instead of marching her to the Garrison or leaving her to fend for herself, Texas smiled and waved off her worry. "Don't worry about it, Krolia. Sure, from what you told me, you  _ did  _ do some pretty bad stuff - but you can't judge by the way a person's been raised. Only by what they choose to be. The fact that you realize your wrongs is proof enough of what a good person you are." With a small chuckle, he added. "It's part of the reason I like you."

Krolia stared for a moment before she smiled back at him. "Your kindness truly is admirable. You always find the good in people, don't you, Texas Kogane?"

Texas laughed, "I try."

They smiled at each other. It was a warm, comfortable silence again. One that Krolia was quite fond of. It took her a moment to realize they were both leaning forward... until Texas shot upward in surprise. "What is it?" Krolia asked, reaching for the knife in her pocket in case she needed it.

"I don't know," Texas admitted. "I heard someone... it sounded like..." Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and tugged her down the trail.

"What are you doing?" Krolia cried in surprise. Texas didn't answer. He kept pulling her along, off the trail and down the rocky cliffs. They ducked beneath dehydrated trees and twisted between large rocks. Krolia ran along because, despite Texas' weird behavior, she still trusted him. For some reason. They slipped down another rock and bolted toward a small cave opening.

They slowed near the entrance and walked inside. It was pitch black inside. Krolia took out a flashlight she brought along and clicked it on. The light fell on the floor in front of them and she froze in shock.

A carving in blue, a large mechanical lion it seemed, was roaring and blasting a splotch of what seemed to be paint. She ran the light over the walls. Countless carvings of lions and skinny figures decked the walls and stretched along the floor. Not to mention, Krolia felt cold energy envelop her. A comforting presence.

"The blue lion is in here somewhere..." Krolia spun on her heel and glared at Texas in confusion. "How did you know it was here?"

Texas held up a hand to block the light she was shining in his face. "I don't know. I just heard someone whispering in the back of my head and telling me to hurry! Now can you stop shining that light in my face?" Krolia turned away the light an scanned the cave. Guess humans were more powerful than she thought. "Wait a minute... shine the light there!" Texas pointed out a dark circle in the center of the room. Krolia shone the light on the circular silhouette and gasped.

It seemed someone has been here before them. And regarding the Empire blaster laying next to the hole, she knew exactly who it was. "Khevv must've contacted other members of the Empire before we shot each other down." She picked up the blaster and studied it for a moment before handing it to Texas. "You know how to shoot that right?"

"What?" Texas asked in surprise.

"Good," Krolia said without a second thought, drawing the knife from her belt and glaring at the hole in the floor. "Cause we're going down there."

* * *

Sliding down a hole that might lead to nowhere except death wasn't Krolia's smartest plan. Don't get him wrong, he loved her. She was tough and brilliant but this was nuts. They glided down the slippery hole into what felt like sub-zero. They stumbled into an icy cave, Krolia much more graceful than him. And when Texas said  _ icy  _ cave, he  _ meant  _ icy cave.

There was cold water dripping from the ceiling and icicles jutting out of the rock. The most significant thing was the large blue ship, shaped like a lion and covered in frost. Creaks and groans echoed the room from the metal's contact with the ice. Unfortunately, Krolia and Texas weren't alone.

There were a few other figures in front of the blue lion, staring up at it with greed. They turned by the sound of their arrival and large grins covered their faces. "Lieutenant Krolia," The first one crooned. His words were drawled out like a taunt. "Long time, no see, eh? We got the message from Technician Khevv of your discovery." The grin not slipping from his face, he observed Texas with a cocked eyebrow. The chill down his spine wasn't caused by the cavern. " _ Oooh _ , but this isn't Khevv ~ Where is your partner, Krolia?"

"Gone, just like the rest of you will be," Krolia warned, raising her knife in a battle stance.

The other two chuckled while the first galra grinned wider, "Brave words, eh? I must say, we were surprised by your betrayal. But no matter. One less weak link, one less burden, ain't I right?" The others nodded affirmatively. "May we remind you of your place, Lieutenant?" They drew their guns and stood ready.

_ The pink triangle is the front of the blaster, _ a voice spoke in his head.  _ Use the trigger as you would use a regular gun. Aim through the same triangle and shoot. Have faith. _

_ Gee, thanks for encouraging me to fight _ , Texas snarked at the voice, which he was assuming was the Blue Lion. Weird but, it was helping so he wasn't gonna complain. As soon as Krolia darted forward, Texas followed the Blue Lion's instructions. He aimed through the pink triangle at the front, the blaster locking onto its target and shot at the first mark.  _ Oh, god, I hope this is a stun gun. _ They might have been bad guys, but that didn't mean he wanted to start killing them.

_ Hey, Blue Lion? This is a stun gun right?  _ He asked the 'voice in his head'.

_ I don't know, _ she replied.

_ Reassuring, _ Texas huffed.

Texas focused on his targets again and started shooting. Trying to ease his mind that this might just be a stun gun. If it wasn't, he'll just live his life feeling guilty for the villains. Why was guilt like this?

It was hard to shoot and keep track of everyone around you. Especially since they were so quick you couldn't get perfect aim. Plus, he didn't wanna shift and shoot Krolia. But she was helping. Moving swiftly with her knife and clashing it against their shots. The leader was the most chilling one. He moved too swiftly and agile. His grin never faltering. He kept dodging them, no matter what.

_ Lock onto him _ , Blue said.

_ How? _ Texas asked, a feeling of hope filling his chest.

_ I'm not sure, _ Blue said truthfully. _ But I know you can. _

" _ You're a real help, Blue, _ " Texas mumbled, causing a timid 'sorry' to echo in his head. The guy nearly broke his arm a couple of times, clearly set on getting him out of the way. Luckily, Texas fights fires for a living and has become quick at dodging quick approaching objects. Krolia helped a lot too, bringing up her sword - when did that thing become a sword? - and smashing it down on her opponent's blaster.

With the leader galra's moment of hesitation, Texas took his aim and shot. The laser hit its mark and Texas couldn't help the manic smile that crossed his features. He was really cut out for this superhero stuff, huh?

"Whoo!" he cried, startling Krolia out of her daze. "We did it!"

She smiled at him. She didn't have the heart to tell him that wasn't a stun gun, but he did it for a good cause. The good cause was behind a watery barrier. Blue metal coated with white frost. Flakes of ice dripping from her snout.

Texas followed her gaze to the Blue Lion. He looked utterly mystified. She didn't blame him. She walked forward like she was in a trance and laid her palm against the blue barrier. Ripples danced along with her hand, expanding out into nothing. "I... I never thought I'd see another lion in my lifetime," Krolia muttered, but her words still echoed off the walls.

"You've been telling me about this ship for weeks but," Texas replied, stepping next to her. "This is beyond words." He turned to Krolia with a thoughtful expression. "Should I alert the Garrison? They might help if there are any more of those bad guys comin' after us."

"No," Krolia said almost immediately. "Telling anyone of the Blue Lion may put your people in jeopardy." She closed her eyes in guilt, remembering the countless planets the galra have enslaved before. "The ancients know I can't do something like that again."

Texas asked, afraid of the answer she was gonna give, "Does this mean you're gonna take the Blue Lion and... leave?"

Krolia looked up at the Blue Lion again. The ship's yellow eyes dim and her barrier still cold against her hand. There was no possibility of her towing the Blue Lion into space. Especially with  _ her  _ ship. The lions of Voltron were sentient ships. Blue came here for a reason. Her pilot must be somewhere on this planet. "My ship being destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned things of the Empire that I never would've learned before. I have a new mission now." She turned to him. "I will stay here and protect the Blue Lion."

Texas gained a broad smile, taking her hand in his own. Krolia stiffened in surprise and looked at him with a quizzical expression. "I want to help."

Krolia studied his face for any sign of a lie but found only truth. She smiled at him. She felt lucky to have ever met him.

* * *

Krolia and Texas scoured the soldiers' bodies for weapons (in case they needed them). Texas looked sick when Krolia admitted that it wasn't a stun gun that he used. But he seemed a bit better when she assured him it was for good. They found a couple of bombs and took their blasters just in case. They snuck back home and fell asleep on the couch. There was something new to their schedule now.

Krolia would repair her ship and go check up on the Blue Lion with Texas when they needed to. They planted a trap around the lion in case of anyone coming there. They pushed a large enough boulder over their gateway to keep it concealed.

She wasn't gonna get into the details. But two months after her crash landing on Earth and about a week after their finding of the Blue Lion, she was pregnant. One morning she was feeling somewhat ill and the next thing she knew, she was throwing up. She kept it a secret from Texas until she couldn't anymore. They tried to solve the mystery illness and came up with the most surprising results (via a device Krolia created).

To make sure the device wasn't faulty, Texas went out to buy a pregnancy test and it came out positive. Both of them.

It was shocking news. Especially since galra were highly infertile and Krolia didn't exactly see herself as lucky. A few more galra soldiers found the Blue Lion and taking them down was getting increasingly harder for Krolia. She borrowed some of Texas' clothes to make her more comfortable at least. It was a shock when Krolia found out that humans were only pregnant for nine months and sometimes less. That was  _ way  _ too quickly!

But fifteen months after the news came out, Krolia went into labor. They couldn't go to the hospital because she was an alien and nobody was supposed to know about her. But Texas did call the 'police' to freak out about his girlfriend giving birth. Not that he gave them an address or anything.

_ Stupid panicking human, _ Krolia thought in misery.

And if that wasn't worse. Twins. Quiznacking twins. The eldest was a girl with blueish-purple skin, sharp ears and why the hell did she have horns? And the youngest was a boy with human features, dark hair, and large indigo eyes. Texas wondered how they gained their eye color so quickly. Krolia called it a galra thing.

Their job became significantly harder instead of a little bit easier. Krolia could fight more comfortably but she needed to take care of her kits. Texas and Krolia were now officially battling the warrior parents title. In the Empire, it was easy to be a 'warrior parent'. The parents usually ship them off to the cub army and forget about them after sixteen years. Krolia had no intention of forgetting about her kits.

Even though they were loud, fought with each other a lot, cried for hours and hid in the crawlspace every Monday evening, she still loved them. Texas was crazy about the two of them, but she noticed him drinking a lot more coffee these days. He mentioned that the caffeine in the coffee kept you awake and Krolia started her coffee addiction. Not like she had a choice.

Her ship was repaired but Krolia had no intention on using it. She had a place on Earth now. A purpose. But that all changed when Texas got hurt.

They were putting the kits to sleep when another galra fighter broke Earth's atmosphere. After assuring the kits' safety, they went out to protect the Blue Lion. As usual. Texas was planting bombs on their ships while Krolia went in head-on. When Officer Toth said he's been neutralized, Krolia thought he was dead for a moment.

At the end of the night, his arm was just badly hurt. She spoke to him about leaving and Texas was hesitant at first. But gave in after a few weeks. He told her to take both the kits and take them to a safe place. Having an alien child on Earth would be dangerous and he couldn't take care of Keith when he wouldn't be home 14 hours a day.

They worked on building a 'cradle pod'. It was safe and spacious for both Keith and Axca. The dreaded day came and Texas didn't want to let go of the two of them.

They laid the twins in the pod and slipped it into the back of the ship. Texas gave her one last hug, both of them breaking into tears not long after. They said goodbye a few times before Krolia hopped into the fighter jet and brought up the windshield. She watched Texas grow smaller and smaller as she left Earth. The beautiful planet she has found her purpose on. The man who saved her and helped her through everything.

It all became smaller as she flew off into the void of space. Flying somewhere she'll be safe. Where Keith and Axca will be safe.

Unfortunately, she never found that safe haven. The galra found her first. The word of her betrayal has spread fast and when she entered the Beta Galaxy, she was fired at. Five galra fighter jets closed in on her and started shooting. The ruckus caused Keith and Axca to start crying while Krolia tried to fly out of sight. When she got down to one fighter jet, effectively losing the others, she spun around the ship and blasted into their engine.

A little reckless for a mother with two children, but what choice did she have?

The ship she shot at spun and crashed into her. Krolia yelped in surprise as they zoomed down into the nearest moon. She tried pulling the pedals, tried getting herself away from the ship but they wouldn't budge. The wing of the other jet pierced through her windshield and stabbed her in the gut.

She howled in pain as they soared down to the moon's surface. Krolia watched the surface come closer and closer.  _ Please let Keith and Axca be okay,  _ she thought before they crashed into the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. Krolia crashed.


End file.
